What do you have in your shop and how is it holding up? Looked at some of the concrete garage floor paint in walmart and was wondering if that would be worth doing all the prep work and moving everything around for. I would like to put something down, especially something that will make clean up a little easier. Thanks, – Covenant

23 replies so far

i have a polished concrete floor, it’s as slippery as marber but just as cold. cleans verry easy, but any oil, paint or whatever will leave a permanent stain.it’s verry uncomfortable in the winter because the cold goes right up through my shoes and paralyses my feet, i need to put a carpet where i stand.

if cold is not a problem in your shop you could put down some epoxy, or another finish on it to make it smooth. a smooth floor is really the top in workshops, i suppose you now have a regular concrete floor that wasn’t polished or smoothed?for my own shop i am concidering to put down a vinyl carpet with fake wood appearance, cheaper than real wood, softer on your back and feet.

I did the epoxy with aluminum chips about 5 years ago. No problems … it sweeps easy, looks good, and isn’t dangerously slick. I have 1/2” thick rubber mats in front of the workbenches, and a couple that I throw down in front of the table saw.

-- Gerry -- "I don't plan to ever really grow up ... I'm just going to learn how to act in public!"

I have the so called professional expoxy coating from Rustoleum. It has worked great. I painted it about 6 or 8 years ago and it still is in great shape. The key though is to prepare the floor correctly before applying.

They make a clear coat also if you would prefer not to have the gray painted look.

I dont have any fleck in it.

I wouldnt be without it. It makes sweeping and clean up (spilled glue etc) so much easier.

I used a latex enamel floor paint (Behr) in my basement shop. I did it mostly to lighten the space by reflecting more light vs. the bare concrete. It has excellent adhesion as long as water doesn’t stand on it. It sweeps up well, but boot scuffs, glue drips, etc. don’t clean off that readily. I haven’t found it slippery, and I didn’t add any chips or grit. If you have a dedicated shop space (no cars on it), I think a latex floor paint could be a decent choice, and easier to apply and a little cheaper than epoxy, and maybe a little less floor prep. I’m sure the epoxies hold up better, though, so they might be worth a little extra prep.

I used a concrete sealer. The floor is smooth and sweeps real easy. So far any oil or staining fluids have come off with little effort. I have white paint over spray on some places right now and they seem to be wearing off on their own. I think the sealer can be purchased from about any concrete supplier. I think mine was around $70.00 for 5 gallons. I did two to three coats on 1800sq ft and it took about 8 gallons. I applied it over a year and a half ago and so far no peeling or wear where the truck is parked.Hope this helps, BTKS

I used the RustOleum stuff on the floor of my basement shop (the basement stuff, not the garage stuff.) The flakes didn’t stick to the floor very well. I ended up using a stiff bristle brush to get most of them off. Actually, I think that worked out for the best. It’s really easy to sweep and slipping is not a problem.

Preping an older concrete floor is difficult, often requiring grinding, but this is necessary if you are going to use one of the epoxy finishes.

When i built the “Workshop in the Woods” in ‘07 I applied three coats of Ace Hardware’s liquid wax, which effectively seals the pores and makes clean-up a breeze. It is surprisingly non-slippery and glue and varnish drips will not stick.

I have a lot of anti-fatgue mats and use them in my most often used work areas.

Ditto on the Rustoleum. Flakes worked fine except in the area where my 5 year old just dumped a handful but the ones taht made it to the paint/epoxy stuck. I know there’s more chemicals involved but this goes down just like paint and doesn’t build up much of a finish. I say that because it won’t fill anything. If you have a small divot, this isn’t like epoxy in other arenas where it’ll fill that in. This covers, but does not fill.

Having said that, it works great. It sealed my concrete floor and is washable and allows dust to be controlled. This product probably deserves a review page with 5 stars ;)